If China can co-operate with
Google in order to block anything that her government happens to
dislike, then Google can certainly prevent the accessing from the United
Kingdom of pornographic material that is illegal here.
Certain record companies block YouTube access from British computers due to our copyright laws. When even the mighty New York Times runs articles that might contravene either or both of our libel laws and our secrecy laws, then they cannot be accessed from, for example, the computer at which I am writing this post.
Not only does the technology exist, but it is already in routine use on an enormous scale.
Would this block dissident material in North Korea, where who has the equipment, anyway? So be it. Would this block dissident material in Saudi Arabia, where the dissidents differ from the regime only in being even more Islamist than it is? So be it.
If that is the price to pay in order to stop anyone in the United Kingdom from looking at the torture and rape of women, children and indeed men, then so be it.
The power of the State against the "free" market. Thank God for it.
But that is why Cameron will do absolutely nothing with or about it.
Certain record companies block YouTube access from British computers due to our copyright laws. When even the mighty New York Times runs articles that might contravene either or both of our libel laws and our secrecy laws, then they cannot be accessed from, for example, the computer at which I am writing this post.
Not only does the technology exist, but it is already in routine use on an enormous scale.
Would this block dissident material in North Korea, where who has the equipment, anyway? So be it. Would this block dissident material in Saudi Arabia, where the dissidents differ from the regime only in being even more Islamist than it is? So be it.
If that is the price to pay in order to stop anyone in the United Kingdom from looking at the torture and rape of women, children and indeed men, then so be it.
The power of the State against the "free" market. Thank God for it.
But that is why Cameron will do absolutely nothing with or about it.
Your post is out of date-Cameron has "done something about it"; as of yesterday, there will be an "opt-in" porn block on every home.
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Mail is cheering its victory.
Perhaps you should take a bit more time before leaping to conclusions and making silly predictions-as the gay marriage affair should have taught you.
And all hell has broken loose in his own party.
ReplyDeleteIt's not even much of a proposal anyway, when you sit down and analyse it.
Its actually worse than I thought-it is not, in fact, opt-in, it is simply a repackaging of the law that already exists.
ReplyDeleteHe won't get away with this.
Who's to stop him? That is not a rhetorical question.
ReplyDeleteHalf the media have already exposed the ruse-because his email to the companies was exposed in the Guardian.
ReplyDeleteThe other half need to wake up.